In recent years there has been an increased trend toward encouraging bowling among the handicap, the young and otherwise unskilled bowlers by the use of bumper systems that preclude the throwing of "gutter balls". In such systems, an elongated longitudinal guard is either permanently, removably or retractably placed in a blocking relation along the length of the gutter for a selected bowling lane. The presence of the bumper prevents thrown but misdirected balls from entering the gutter anywhere along the length of the bowling lane by deflecting a bumped ball back onto the lane toward the pins. The effect thereof is to prevent the thrower of the ball, particularly an unskilled bowler or the young from becoming discouraged toward the game. Instead, it provides a psychological up-lift in that by means of such bumpers every thrown ball results in at least some downed pins and a realization of scoring. At the same time, the cost of such systems is, as always, a paramount concern to the proprietor of the bowling alley.